There are many types of electronic devices that are used for various reasons, including but not limited to, communications, entertainment, work, and maintaining information such as contacts and appointments. Many electronic devices are continuously decreasing in size while increasing in functionality. In addition, several of these types of electronic devices are portable, including phones, pagers, communicators, electronic organizers, personal digital assistants, and digital audio and/or video playing devices such as iPods® or MP3 players.
As a result of the decreasing size of the devices, the controls for the devices have correspondingly shrunk in size. The particular controls and methods of input for different electronic devices can vary. Some devices may include mechanical or electromechanical buttons or switches that can be activated by a user contacting the button or switch.
Other electronic devices utilize a touch-sensitive technology for the interaction between the user and the device. One example of a touch sensitive technology is a touch screen which is an interactive screen that can be contacted by a user. Another example of a touch-sensitive technology is a track pad. The touch-sensitive technologies or applications sense and track a user's touch and its subsequent movement.
Some of the applications of these touch-sensitive technologies are resistive-type systems that include a resistive layer of material and a conductive layer of material that are disposed proximate to each other and separated by a narrow space of air. When a user touches a resistive-type screen or pad, the two layers contact each other in that exact spot, thereby changing the electric field and the particular spot can be identified. Thus, a resistive-type system registers a touch or input as long as the two layers make contact. The contact can be made using any type of object.
Other applications of these touch-sensitive technologies are capacitive-type systems that include a conductive layer of material that stores an electrical charge. When a user touches a capacitive-type screen or pad, a portion of the charge is transferred between the user and the screen or pad. As a result, the charge on the capacitive layer changes. Once this change occurs, the particular location of the change can be determined by a controller. A capacitive system needs a conductive input to register a touch or input. Such a conductive input can be made using a portion of a user's body, such as a finger.
In an electronic device with a capacitive-type touch-sensing interface, a controller supplies electrical current to metal channels or conductors that form a grid and conduct electricity. When another conductor, such as a user's finger, is moved close to the grid, current wants to flow to the finger to complete a circuit. Typically, the electronic device includes a non-conductive item, such as a non-conductive piece of plastic, in the way. Thus, a charge builds up at a point on the grid that is the closest to the finger. The build up of electrical charge between two conductors is called capacitance. The controller of the electronic device measures any changes in capacitance and a signal is generated and sent to the microprocessor of the electronic device.
When resistive-type and capacitive-type touch-sensing technologies are utilized on electronic devices, these touch-sensing technologies use capacitive and resistive buttons which can replace the small mechanical button and switch input devices to maximize the available space on the device. As mentioned above, capacitive touch-sensing requires a conductive input to register a touch by a user. While a conductive input can be accomplished through the touch of a user, such a conductive input is difficult when a user is wearing a garment covering the portion of the user's body intended to provide the conductive input, such as a hand covering.
Garments, such as hand coverings including gloves and mittens, are worn for protection from cold weather or other environmental conditions. There is a decrease in tactile sensitivity in the touch-sensitive technologies utilized as input mechanisms for the devices when a user is wearing a conventional garment. In addition, conventional garments do not allow a user to provide a necessary conductive input to an electronic device. Accordingly, to operate and utilize many electronic devices, a user must remove the garment in order to effectively interact with the devices having touch-sensitive control inputs.
In an attempt to remedy this situation, certain garments have been developed that enable the wearer to interact with a touch-sensitive (resistance or conductive) input device without removing the garment by replacing portions of the material forming the garment with section of a conductive material. However, while this enables the individual wearing the garment to interact with the device, if the garment is to be formed to be weatherproof, waterproof, or otherwise protect the wearer from contact with the elements, for example, the replacement of the material of the garment with the conductive material necessarily creates a gap in the impervious material from which the garment is formed, such that there is the potential for water or other material to enter the interior of the garment.
Additionally, with many types of garments, the primary function of the garment is to protect, insulate or otherwise isolate the wearer within the garment from the outside environment. Garments of this type normally have multiple layers forming the garment to provide the necessary protection for the wearer. However, these multiple layers can prevent conductive materials from being able to transmit electric signals from the body of a wearer through all of the various layers in order to enable the wearer to interact with or control a capacitive or conductive input-sensing device while wearing the garment.
Thus, it is desirable to develop a garment that enables the wearer to provide conductive input to an electronic device, but that also has a uniform and unbroken layer surrounding the body portion of the wearer on which the garment is positioned, such that the garment is effectively weatherproof or waterproof.